[BLOG REVIEW] Tucker Max’s “Asshole to CEO” series is a must-read for any young person becoming an entrepreneur

I regularly get messages through my Facebook page asking me what I think about various self-styled gurus. In almost every case, there are a few red flags that pop out to me.

They’re usually in their early-to-mid 20’s, which makes them kids in the eyes of any businessperson over 35.

They claim expertise in a very narrow range of “Solopreneur” disciplines – almost always Social Media Management and/or Digital Marketing Consulting.

These gurus have almost never built a “traditional” business of their own (i.e a business that isn’t them getting paid to manage someone else’s Facebook Ads).

After spending several years in the entrepreneurship & startup ecosystem in my country, I’ve met a lot of young people who are wayyyyyy overconfident when it comes to their business acumen. I’ve also met a lot of seasoned businesspeople who have forgotten more about business than millennials will know.

The hard truth is that businesspeople with 15+ years of experience will act, speak, and think very differently than even the most talented 25-year-old “Social Media Expert”. That’s not to say that young people don’t know anything – millennials bring an exciting and fresh perspective to business, as well as technological fluency. This makes them incredibly valuable.

However, do you want to take advice from a 24-year old who talks a big game from a spare room in their apartment, or someone who’s built a real company with employees, an office, investors, and a Board of Directors? This is where Tucker Max comes in.

Who is Tucker Max?

Tucker Max became famous for creating the literary genre of “Fratire”, and has three NY Times bestselling books where he documents his drinking adventures and sexual mishaps. You can find the chronicles of that part of his life at TuckerMax.com.

He’s shifted gears significantly since then, however, and is now the CEO of a publishing startup called “Book In a Box”. Founded in 2014, the company now has a 23-person team, over 100+ freelancers, millions of dollars in annual revenue, and has been featured in a ton of different media.

Tucker’s taken the time to document his experiences at the helm of his own company in a series of blog articles called “Asshole to CEO”. He’s always been known for speaking plainly and bluntly, and it’s what makes this series so exceptionally useful for aspiring entrepreneurs – especially young folks who may be a little overconfident in themselves and their abilities.

Despite the fact that he became famous for writing about drunken hookups and shitting his pants in public, Tucker Max is incredibly intelligent, capable of critical self-reflection, and more well-read than most people would expect. I also happened to meet him at TNW Europe 2015, and can personally say that he is easygoing and humble.

In “Asshole to CEO”, Tucker Max documents his successes, failures, and mistakes. Hopefully you’ll take the time to read the series in its entirety, and learn what it’s like to be a grownup and run a real business.